


An Experiment in Mutual Curiosity

by FaelynWalker



Category: Villains Series - V. E. Schwab
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Banter, Boys Kissing, Dorks, Eli needs to get his act together, Fluff and Smut, Humor, M/M, Manipulation, Obsession, These Boys are a MESS, Topping from the Bottom, University, Victor being witty as usual, Victor just wants Eli's attention, give it to him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-01
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-10-04 09:41:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20468951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaelynWalker/pseuds/FaelynWalker
Summary: Victor is done with Eli's nonsense. That incident was Eli's fault, yet he's been avoiding Victor all week, even managing to do so in the classes they have together. He decides to confront Eli on his behavior, and things escalate from there.





	An Experiment in Mutual Curiosity

**Author's Note:**

> I just finished Vicious, am obsessed with Victor Vale, and needed to express it. Thus, this fic was born.
> 
> Basically, I was craving some power bottom Victor and couldn't find what I wanted, so I took matters into my own hands XD

Victor drew his Sharpie along another line in one of his parent’s self help books, waiting for class to start. The seat next to him, Eli’s usual seat, remained empty. He was really cutting it close again. Unsurprisingly, Eli managed to make it on time, sliding in just before the bell rang. However, he did not make his way across the classroom. Victor frowned as he watched his friend take a seat on the opposite side near the door, not even glancing in his direction. 

Eli was still avoiding him. 

It had started a few nights ago and showed no signs of stopping. What made it worse was that it was all Eli’s fault, yet it felt like he was blaming Victor. Other students were starting to notice that they were “fighting”. It was difficult not to notice, with Eli sitting somewhere else, coming into class last minute, leaving at the first sound of the bell, disappearing during lunch, and making sure his time in their apartment didn’t coincide with Victor. Eli was even waking up early and coming back late to avoid him. In short, his so-called friend was being infuriating. 

They hadn’t properly spoken in days. Not only was Victor losing his best friend, but since Eli was spending less time with him, that meant Victor was also spending less time with Angie. She had asked about their supposed fight, to which Victor replied, “Eli needs to get his act together.” She didn’t bring it up again after that, leaving them to it and trusting them to get over whatever happened. Still, while she wasn’t avoiding him herself, sometimes she went off with Eli, so it amounted to a similar experience. This whole situation was unacceptable. 

His mind drifting elsewhere as it usually did in class, Victor touched his lips lightly, reflecting on the event that started this whole debacle. They had gotten drunk. Having scored top of the class on their midterms, it only felt right that a little fun was deserved. They ended up on the couch, lounging and talking about whatever came to mind. After a moment of quiet, Victor had realized that Eli was a lot closer than he had been before.

_“Do you ever think about things you know you’re not supposed to think about?”_

_Victor raised an eyebrow. “Of course,” he replied smoothly. “Everyone does.” Eli made a frustrated sound, and Victor added. “You’re going to have to be more specific.” He stared up at the ceiling, impatient for elaboration. Eli being cryptic benefitted no one._

_“Vic…”_

_“Hm?” Victor hummed, turning to look at Eli. His breath caught in his throat. Eli was right in his face, his expression something Victor hadn’t seen before. Or maybe he had, lurking below the surface of his best friend, and just never thought too deeply about this even being a possibility._

_“Your eyes are so pretty,” Eli murmured, looking entranced. Suddenly, before Victor could process what was happening, Eli’s mouth was on his. He froze, his eyes widening. Victor thought himself to be observant and good at reading people. However, he had honestly not seen this coming at all._

_Eli lifted a hand, threading it through blonde locks and tugging lightly. Victor gasped, allowing Eli to slip his tongue in unhindered. Was this actually happening? Should he push Eli away? Wipe his mouth and yell at him for daring to do such a thing? Victor surprised himself by not acting on these thoughts. Eyes fluttering shut, he leaned into the kiss. _

_It seemed that Victor’s new compliance caused Eli to come to his senses. He lurched back as if burned, a hand over his mouth and horror in his eyes._

_“What did I just…” he trailed off, giving Victor a panicked look before fleeing to his room and slamming the door, leaving a dazed Victor Vale behind. Confused at what the hell actually happened, Victor decided to shrug it off and go to bed. He’d think about it when his mind wasn’t all fuzzy from alcohol._

The next day, he had given the night’s events a fleeting thought and assumed that they would dismiss it as drunken antics, putting that behind them and pretending it never happened. He hadn’t anticipated Eli pretending like his friendship with Victor was what never happened. Maybe this was a more serious problem for Eli than he thought. It could be anything from awkwardness to self-loathing. He knew that his friend was religious, a common point of contention between them. Could his problem be from a religious standpoint? Victor wondered if Eli now thought him to be a devil, a test from God and a lesson in temptation. Instead of finding the thought amusing, Victor just felt nauseous. 

The bell rang, jolting him out of his thoughts. Victor looked over to see Eli already gone, which was no surprise. He hadn’t stayed back to have small talk with classmates, dazzling politician’s smile out in full, at all this week. Victor had been planning to wait out Eli’s avoidance policy because he hated that this actually bothered him and he didn’t want Eli to know how affected he was. However, it appeared that he had no choice but to confront him, or else this could go on for who knows how long. 

He’d corner him tonight. 

And that’s how Victor ended up sitting on the couch in the dark, making sure the room seemed empty as he waited. It was well past midnight now. This was problematic, seeing as he had to wake up for class tomorrow. How late would Eli return? Blinking sleepiness from his eyes, he stared at the door, willing it to open to no avail. He wished he could vandalize the self help book he was currently working on to pass the time. However, he couldn’t take the risk that lights on would keep Eli away.

After about thirty minutes, the creaking of the door jerked Victor awake from his light doze. He must’ve drifted off, and Victor was thankful that he didn’t sleep through that. If he did, not only would Eli have known that he fell asleep waiting up for him, but he would’ve had a subpar night’s rest on the couch for nothing.

The lights flicked on. Though Victor squinted while his eyes adjusted, he kept his voice calm and steady as he said, “Good evening, Cardale.” He watched Eli startle, bag slipping off his shoulder and onto the ground with a thud.

“V-Victor?! What are you doing?”

“Or should I say good morning?” Victor continued, ignoring him. “It certainly is a time where it’d be acceptable to say that instead.” He watched him carefully, unsure what he’d do if Eli actually ran. Thankfully, after a few seconds of hesitation, Eli sighed and walked over, sitting beside Victor after placing his bag down on the coffee table. It was the opposite side of the couch and as far as he could get, but still. Victor counted that as something. 

“I assume you want to talk about why I’ve been avoiding you,” Eli started.

“Your assumption is correct,” Victor assured cooly, annoyance boiling under a veneer of composure.

Avoiding his gaze, Eli managed to say, “It’s difficult to express.”

“Try.” Victor wasn’t leaving without this getting resolved, and for that, he needed an explanation. 

“It’s just…” Eli tried to articulate his thoughts, stumbling a bit in execution, yet managing to get his point across well enough as he continued. “I practically forced myself on you and essentially tried to cheat on Angie because of my perverse desires. I couldn’t face you. What I did and how I feel…it’s wrong. You have every right to hate me.” 

So it was guilt and shame that kept him away. Victor took note of that fact that Eli couldn’t face him, but he could pretend everything was normal to Angie just fine. It spoke of how easy it was for Eli to put on the guise of a perfect boyfriend when around her, and how Victor was the only one to see beneath the mask. 

“I don’t hate you,” Victor said, trying to inject as much sincerity as he could. Reassuring Eli was the priority, and judging by the reluctant hope clear on his face, it was working. “We didn’t do much, and the little we did was while we were drunk. No need to feel guilty around Angie for that,” Victor explained away. It was important to bury this issue completely. Once Eli’s worries were addressed, everything would be fine. “And don’t treat me like a damsel,” he added, rolling his eyes. “You couldn’t force me to do anything.” There was a moment of silence.

“Then why didn’t you stop me?”

Victor hadn’t expected the questioning to be turned back at himself. “Curiosity,” he replied quickly, just trying to come up with a plausible excuse. He hadn’t even thought about why he let Eli kiss him. However, once he said it aloud, it felt right. “I was surprised when it happened, but I was admittedly curious.”

“So what I did was…”

Victor may not have Eli’s easy charm, but he was silver-tongued. He worked to spin convincing words together in order to fix things between him and Eli.

“Just curiosity,” he dismissed. “It’s normal to experiment. It doesn’t mean you’re gay, so stop fretting about God and it being wrong; you’re just curious. It’ll pass.” He wasn’t sure if he believed any of that, disliking religion and faith and such, but this argument was for Eli’s benefit. It should assuage the troubles of his best friend. Well, it should’ve. It didn’t work.

“When?” Eli demanded. “I can’t stop thinking about it. About what could’ve happened.”

This was when Victor realized that he had overlooked an important part of Eli’s explanation. His “perverse desires”. It wasn’t a passing whim or a random drunken act. He must’ve been thinking about Victor for a while now. _Desiring_ him. Victor felt something burning at his core. Time for a change of plans.

“Maybe if you get it out of your system, it’ll stop bothering you,” he threw out slyly, careful to keep his posture and expression casual.

“…What?”

“If you try it, you shouldn’t have to wonder anymore. Then, the curiosity would go away.”

“Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?” Eli asked, clearly stunned.

“I’d just like to know what you want.” He relished the conflict in Eli’s expression as he considered what he _should_ do and what he _wanted_ to do. Finally, Eli seemed to have come to a conclusion. He moved down the couch until he was sitting so close to Victor, they were touching.

“I want to try this,” Eli said softly, an intense look in his eyes. A crack in the perfect mask.

“You’re going to have to be more specific,” Victor smirked, his words an echo of a few nights ago. 

This time, when Eli surged forward, he was ready. Victor immediately reciprocated, sucking on Eli’s bottom lip before biting down, causing him to gasp. He took the opportunity to explore Eli’s mouth, their tongues intertwining. This was so much more than the awkward kiss from last time. It was not uncertain, but bursting with passion met with passion in a dance of want and desire. 

Victor was the first to break the heated make out session with a tug on his friend’s shirt. Eli understood and pulled it over his head. Lips met bare skin as Victor kissed from shoulder to chin, and short nails dug into Eli’s upper back as Victor pulled him closer. When Victor found what he deemed a particularly sensitive part near the base of Eli’s neck, he sucked lightly, earning himself a moan before biting down hard enough to draw blood. The strangled noise that came from Eli was strangely satisfying.

“Vic, what the hell? Are you insane?”

Victor just shrugged, licking the blood from his lips. Not that he’d ever tell him, but he found that he liked the look of scarlet against Eli’s skin. It was also nice to imagine Eli feeling a twinge of pain even days from now and remembering this moment. Remembering Victor.

Eli sighed. “Just don’t get too crazy. I can’t have Angie finding suspicious marks.”

The reminder of Angie was enough to sour Victor’s mood. Eli sleeping with him and then going to Angie wasn’t something he wanted to dwell on. He wasn’t even sure who he was jealous of at this point. Not wanting to continue this line of thought, he pressed his mouth to Eli’s with passion, resuming where they left off. Victor shivered as hands slid under his shirt, gliding over his skin. 

This time it was Eli who broke the kiss. He made his way to Victor’s ear and, after nibbling lightly and getting breath to hitch, he said in a low voice, “Come to my bedroom.”

“Only if you ask nicely,” Victor replied sharply, leaning back and grinning. The look in Eli’s eyes promised to make Victor forget his wit, and just that thought left him breathless. However, he saw a cloud, a flicker of doubt, pass over Eli’s face. He pulled Victor back to him and kissed his neck.

“What about Angie?” he felt Eli murmur against his skin.

“She doesn’t need to know. It’s just casual experimentation,” Victor answered, his voice strained. “Nothing serious.” That seemed to be a good enough answer for Eli, since he continued his trail down Victor’s throat without comment. Victor discovered he wanted more than that wordless acceptance. He didn’t want Eli to be distracted by thoughts of Angie or God or anyone else. Victor wanted _all_ of his attention.

He moaned softly as Eli sucked at the counterpart to where Victor had bitten down on him. In contrast, he didn’t draw blood. Victor found that to be slightly disappointing. It meant that Eli was still holding himself back.

“Will you come to my bedroom with me?” Eli tried again.

“Beg,” was his instant response. He could tell he was wearing Eli’s patience thin, and he enjoyed it.

“Please come to my bedroom with me, Your Highness.”

“Good boy,” Victor mocked, gracefully rising to his feet, making his way and expecting Eli to follow accordingly. He did. Once they were inside the bedroom, Victor turned to look at him. He stood by the closed door, shifting uncomfortably. Victor realized that Eli was avoiding showing his bare back and its scars. Wanting to push Eli’s boundaries, but not wanting discomfort to overwhelm pleasure, he walked over to the bed with Eli trailing after him. Once he was close enough, Victor grabbed his shoulders and pushed him onto it. Eli lay on his back with surprise written all over his face. The scars were successfully covered in a way that didn’t draw any attention to them, and Victor crawled on top of his friend, feeling triumphant.

“A bit aggressive, don’t you think?” Eli commented, amusement overtaking surprise.

“Don’t pretend that you didn’t like it,” Victor scoffed, straddling his hips. He gave a smug smile and got ready to taunt him. “How does it feel to be at my mercy? You can’t run away this time.”

Eli flinched at the words “run away” despite Victor meaning them in jest. He brought a hand up to caress Victor's cheek, causing him to stiffen under the surprisingly intimate touch. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you this past week,” he said softly. Victor could feel his cheeks heating up and hoped Eli couldn’t feel it. He slapped his hand away.

“I wasn’t hurt,” Victor protested. “Just annoyed at being the center of gossip. Don’t do that again. It’s inconvenient.”

Eli chuckled. “I’ll never do that again,” he promised as he leaned in for a kiss. 

They resumed where they left off on the couch, all mouths and hands and physical intimacy. After about a minute, Victor decided to escalate things. Feeling Eli’s erection pressing against him, he ground down, their crotches only separated by their clothing. They groaned at the feeling and fell into a rhythm of pleasure. They stopped momentarily to get Victor’s shirt off. Sitting back gave Victor an opportunity to study Eli.

He eyed Eli’s toned body, his broad shoulders, and his rich brown hair, currently a mess because of Victor’s fingers. While he knew and acknowledged that Eli was handsome, he had never been physically attracted to him. 

“Like what you see?” Eli teased, an eyebrow raised and a quirk to his lips. Victor took in what was underneath that good-looking exterior. What drew Victor in was the darkness seeping out of cracks in Eli’s perfect armor. The facade that was fading more and more whenever it was just the two of them. His real self, the one Victor always worked so hard to see, currently evident in Eli’s eyes as he waited for a witty answer. 

“Yes,” was what Victor whispered instead. Eli’s eyes widened. His fingers clutched hard at Victor’s hips before letting go and pulling him back down by his shoulders. 

Though Eli had told Victor to be careful about marks, he did not seem to have the same reservations when it came to marking Victor. Bruises bloomed very visibly across Victor’s pale skin from Eli’s lips and teeth. After leaving them, Eli’s fingers would press down on the spots, sending a jolt running through Victor. It was difficult to discern whether it was pleasure or pain. In retaliation, Victor would prod at his painful-looking bite whenever Eli did that, delighted by the winces he received. Their back and forth continued until Victor decided it was a good time to move things along.

“How do you want to do this?” Victor asked, sitting up. He watched as Eli considered their options. Victor knew that Eli, so insecure about potentially being gay, would want to top. What he was most likely considering was how to get Victor to agree. Normally, Victor would challenge that ridiculous notion to be difficult, but he was feeling generous. “Want to fuck me?”

Eli’s gaze darkened with desire, a smile playing at his lips as if he knew that was what Victor would say. “I have lube and condoms in the bottom drawer,” he answered indirectly. “Would you please go get them?” His politeness had an artificial edge to it. Victor got up to get them anyway. He took the opportunity to divest himself of his pants and boxers, and Eli did the same, shimmying out of his jeans and pulling his socks off. When Victor climbed back on the bed with the supplies, they were both completely naked.

Victor squeezed some lube on his fingers and reached back, poking at his entrance. He started with one, tensing at the weird feeling. So focused on trying to relax and stretch himself, he didn’t notice Eli grabbed the lube until he heard the cap flick open. Eli brought his lubed hand down to Victor’s arousal and wrapped around it before gliding up and down. Victor moaned and rested his head against Eli’s shoulder, practically panting in his ear as he continued his ministrations. Like this, Victor gradually made his way up to two and then three fingers.

“Are you ready for me?” Eli asked, his voice husky, a finger going around to press where Victor’s fingers went in. Victor had to hold back a whimper at that. He nodded and removed his fingers. 

“Why so impatient? Are you that eager to be inside me?” Victor jabbed as he rolled a condom onto Eli.

Eli exhaled shakily. “Yes, I am.”

Victor laughed, not expecting that level of honesty. He wouldn’t tell Eli, but he was eager for it, too. He had never desired sex with Eli, and for Victor, this moment wasn’t about that. It was about getting under Eli’s skin, dragging out who he truly was, and having him focus on Victor alone. That first kiss from Eli had sparked curiosity that caught fire and burned him with need.

After lubing up Eli’s dick, Victor lined it up with his hole and began to sink down, taking periodic breaks until he was fully seated. Eli remained patient and still throughout this process, which was appreciated. Though if he didn’t, Victor would’ve put him in his place. He needed the time to try and get used to this. Being filled was a strange sensation. Taking deep breaths, Victor finally felt he was relaxed enough to move. He rocked his hips experimentally and Eli groaned. This started a system between them where Victor would lift his hips and come down just as Eli would thrust up. 

They moved in sync, chasing their pleasure in different ways. Eli was obviously going a more traditional route of physical gratification, and Victor was also feeling it. However, Victor cared more about the sounds Eli made, the gasps and moans, each one proof that Victor was the one making him feel that way, consuming his thoughts. Not wanting to miss a single one, Victor held back his own, biting his lip.

“Stop holding back your voice,” Eli muttered petulantly. 

“Make me,” Victor spat out with a smirk. He wanted Eli to lose control and go wild, to forget his proper facade right now, and he was sure that he was close to driving him to that point. Victor just needed to get him to snap. 

He looked down at Eli, hoping to see his perfect disguise shattered around him like glass. Instead, he got something better. Victor realized that he couldn’t see it at all. It was gone. Eli was truly here with him, all his attention on Victor. This is what Victor had craved. He had wanted it so badly he couldn’t stand it. The intensity in Eli’s dark eyes hit Victor like a brick wall, and he shuddered. Knowing that Eli was utterly focused on him was dizzying.

Eli stilled his hips and lifted Victor off him, to Victor’s confusion. Then, in a truly impressive display, Eli flipped their positions, leaving Victor bewildered. He kissed his cheek in a mock of romance and said with a drop of sarcasm, “Sorry sweetheart, but I’ll get better traction this way.” Victor opened his mouth to say something scathing, but that was lost when Eli thrust back in and nailed his prostate.

“Ahn!” Victor gave a choked moan, a heady feeling clouding his thoughts. Eli’s attention was exactly what he wanted, and it was exhilarating to have it so completely. He could give his friend some of what he wanted in return. Victor wouldn’t exaggerate or scream his head off like a porn star, but he’d allow his natural sounds to slip out.

Eli set a brutal pace, and it was all Victor could do to hold on. Each thrust drew a gasp or whimper or moan from his mouth. Eli must’ve eventually realized that his undivided attention did it for Victor, since his eyes never left him. It was ecstasy.

“Vic…you feel so good,” Eli panted. The thrusts were falling out of the steady rhythm, becoming more sporadic. Victor could tell his friend was nearing climax and raised a hand to lightly trace where he bit down earlier.

“Just let go,” Victor murmured as he pressed down hard. Eli gasped and came with Victor’s name on his lips, driving a spike of arousal through him. He reached down to finish himself off without glancing at the action, unable to look away from the one hovering above him. Eli’s unwavering gaze despite his uneven breathing and shaking limbs was fuel that scorched Victor from the inside. The look in his eyes was dark and heavy and spoke of endless possibilities. One of which he actually acted on. It was Eli biting down as hard as Victor did on the couch, the same spot where he hadn’t dared before, that caused Victor to come undone in a shock of stimulation. Eli kissed him through it, and the taste of his own blood, as well as thought of Eli tasting it, somehow made it sweeter.

They lay there for a short while and gathered their wits. Eventually, they had to move. Eli pulled out, getting a quiet whine out of Victor, to remove the condom. He grabbed tissues and wiped them down, cleaning up their mess. Then, he got the covers out from under Victor and joined him on the bed, pulling him close. They basked in the silence and afterglow until Victor broke it a few minutes later.

“So,” Victor started hesitantly, his head tucked under Eli’s chin. “Are you still curious? Or do you think you got it out of your system?”

“Difficult to tell,” Eli admitted, his tone unnaturally light. “We may need to do this a few more times.” 

Victor managed a nod. “Experiments do usually have multiple trials for accuracy, so that wouldn’t be amiss.”

They stayed serious for a moment longer before bursting into laughter. In the morning, he knew that the world wouldn’t be theirs, but for now, only they existed, giggling like fools and clutching each other under the covers.

Victor decided he could live with that.


End file.
